1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to equipment used in restaurants and other food service institutions where food is displayed, and more particularly relates to a food shield or barrier through which food served by such an institution may be viewed by a customer.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There are numerous health and safety codes with which restaurants and other food service institutions must comply. One or more of such codes require that food displayed by the food service institution or restaurant be separated from a customer by a barrier. In many self-service food establishments, the food is uncovered when displayed, and an adjustable transparent barrier is provided between the food and the customer, which allows the customer to see the displayed food but does not unduly restrict the customer's access to the food so that he may make his selection. Such barriers are commonly referred to in the food service industry as “sneeze guards”, because they aid in preventing contamination of the displayed food by airborne bacteria transmitted by the customer. One would commonly find such food barriers at self-service salad bars or food buffets in a restaurant.
There are a wide variety of food shields or “sneeze guards” used in the food service industry today, and many of these include a transparent panel, such as an acrylic or glass pane, supported by two or more vertical posts on opposite lateral sides of the transparent panel, and connected to the posts by locking mechanisms or assemblies which permit the panel to be adjusted in height on the posts as well as at a desired angle.
One of the problems with conventional food shields is that, to effect their position on the posts or their angular disposition, the locking mechanisms on both sides of the transparent panel must be adjusted simultaneously. Thus, an employee or owner of the food establishment in which such a food shield is used must reach across the width of the transparent panel and use both hands to make the adjustment. These transparent panels may be four feet, or more, in width, making it difficult for one individual to adjust both locking mechanisms simultaneously, and sometimes requiring two persons to adjust the locking mechanism on each side of the panel.